HERCULES DOUBLE IPA is not for the faint of heart. It is, however, fit for the gods. HERCULES delivers a huge amount of hops from start to finish. Its hefty backbone of nutty, malty sweetness balances its aggressive hop profile. 85 IBUs.

L - Nearly completely opaque, dark almost ruby golden with trickles of carbonation flowing up from the sides and base of the glass. Microscopic bits of yeast floating throughout. Poured vigorously with a one finger head that dissipated quickly.

S - The scent of the beer was nothing to write home about. Bits of malt, alcohol, fruity and piney. Was not overpowering and towards the end did not smell overly pleasant to me.

T - The taste is what makes this beer great. Rushes of bread and malt with traces of the fruit that was from the scent following suit. The malt was also present which was tasty and a good balance. The alcohol was certainly apparent, but not overpowering in any way. The warmer it got the more you could taste for sure.

F - Much 'thicker' than most DIPAs I've tried, but still delicious.

O - This was a good beer, a bit expensive for the 4, but good. I will probably purchase again but with all of the other options I would probably go for something a little lighter, more crisp and a bit more refreshing in this style. (1,096 characters)

A: Dark amber, thick head, sediment at the bottom of bottle.S: Sweet amber malt. Bread.T: Sweet followed by some bitterness and a sweet finish.M: Full body like a barleywine.O: Too sweet and too much body. (209 characters)

Bottles about 6 months old and may be passing?Was not blown away by this one at all being so highly rated, now granted I've had some great ipa's lately that I am comparing this to. I got more malt than hop and not a clean fresh finish that I like.Think this one was purely preference on my part bringing down the score, and I did drink all four bottles over four nights as a reference.Would love to ,retry fresh or draught. (427 characters)

Just Wow. I am really not the biggest IPA guy but this beer was just mind blowing. I hate an overly bitter beer. This beer has a biiter hop bite but the malt and floral balance that follow in the second mouthful makes one of the best beer experiences ever. Buy it, all of it. (279 characters)

Pour - Great thick body. Solid layer of foam at top.Color - Darker than usual Amber.Smell - Very strong hops, blended with a fruity aroma.Mouth - Good thick maltiness - coats mouth well.Taste - This is what you'd expect a very high-gravity double IPA (10% alcohol per the bottle) - extremely sharp hoppy bite, blended well with the fruit finish, but the bite really sticks out. Overall - This is not a beer for a "casual, light IPA drinker" - this is for the IPA drinker that LOVES the hoppy, bitter bite of a double IPA. If Great Divide Brewing sought to make the hoppiest Double on the Market, then in this beer drinkers opinion - they very much have. Overall - 96. (672 characters)

Appearance: From 12 oz bottle, dark hazy orangem minimum head that dissipates quickly, slight lacing.Smell: Very citrusy aroma.Taste: Malt forward, hoppy finish. The taste left on the palate is pine. Some alcohol burn, in a good way. Thi sbeer is very hoopy but the malt presence balances the hops for a very positive overall taste experience.The malts keep this from being a puckerfest but it does not overpower the hoppines. Excellent balance. Long hop finish. Feel: Decent mouth coating, it does not leave the mouth dry. Refreshing.

when I first saw this in the store I snickered at the name and label, but so glad I tried it. Excellent offering from Great Divide. This is a very balanced beer, a little something for everyone! (735 characters)

Cloudy brownish orange color with a decent head that leaves good lacing. Smells fruity and hoppy. Taste like a tropical fruit possibly a heavy citrus expolsuon but with a grea malt backbone. Medium carbonation and full balanced. Great double ipa! Very different. (267 characters)

A. Easy poor ¼ inch yellow/white/tan head. Good carbonation. Color is a very hazy golden orange. Almost looks like the glow you see in the movies when they open the brief case.S. Fruity, monster hops, orange, little pine.T. Hops, alcohol, orange, pine, pear, oak, nutty, honey. The hops are very over powering, this is awesome. M. Thick, gritty, dry, delicious.O. One of the top 5 Double IPA’s I’ve ever had. The alcohol is in your chest, but in a good way. Good ass buzz for only 10% ABV. (498 characters)

LOOK: Beautiful Light Carmel Orange Color with a Picture Perfect White Foamy Head that Remained Almost Through-Out...

SMELL: Hoppy Aroma that is Strong but Not Over-Powering....Subtle Nutty Scents are Evident also.

TASTE: A Refreshing yet Bold Malty Flavor that leaves no doubt that you are consuming a Higher ABV (10.0%) IPA yet ISN'T Harsh.

FEEL: Moderate Carbonation, Crisp Refreshing,

OVERALL: A Truly GREAT IPA that delivers in BOTH Taste and Kick. It is Obviously NOT a "Session" Beer but If you want to Relax and Casually ENJOY a Snifter or Two...I would HIGHLY Recommend this Gem! (594 characters)

I've heard quite a bit about this beer from the West coast but had never seen it in Indiana until just a couple of weeks ago and was excited to try it even though it was $5 a 12 oz bottle.

A - Deep orange color. Hazy from the dry hops with a bountiful white head and light lacing.

S - Pungent and strong hop fragrance with lots of citrus fruit, pine, and dank hops. Could smell it before I picked it up. Almost perfume like from the magnitude of aromatics. Some slight alcohol presence while at 45 degrees.

T - Awesome flavor with the strong citrus hop character. The alcohol and strong hop bitterness are also present but not in contention with the NW hops. I think there is a ton of hops in order to keep this 10% ABV beer as delicious and hop forwards as some 6% ABV IPAs. There are also light malt and caramel character in the middle but is in no way balanced.

M - Moderate mouth-feel with moderate carbonation.

Overall, a very good DIPA. I'm very glad I finally got to try this one and it definitely holds up to the hype. Not all the way at the top but I really enjoy the hop explosion that is present in this bitter and alcoholic brew. This beer is great if you like Imperial IPAs.

Pours a single finger head with a copper body into a Spiegalau IPA glass. Presents a wave of super caramelized hops, boozy, with a viscous mouthfeel. Obviously heavier than a regular IPA, this DIPA is definitely not for sessioning. But its richness is sinful, like a nectar of the gods. (287 characters)

Aroma (3.5): Good enough aroma. Not a huge crazy aroma, but makes you want to drink it. Appearance (4): Good color. Not as dark as I was expecting, but a nice dark red/amber color. Taste (4): I was not impressed with my first sip. But the more I got into it, the more I got the sweet, caramel taste, along with the hops. Definitely has a bit of a boozy taste. Not sure if that's a compliment or not . . . Palate (4): Has a good mouthfeel. Smooth, doesn't have a real lingering aftertaste. (498 characters)

BOD 6/25/14. Clear amber pour with a dark ruby cast. Normal head with excellent lacing and retention. Nice nose of blended hops (pine, citrus and a bit of dank) over a caramel background with a hint of alcohol. Medium bodied with a slick texture. Below average carbonation with no effervescence on the finish. The taste profile is complex, but a bit out of balance. The alcohol is quite prevalent. It begins with a caramel rush that flows into the hop flavor, but never totally recedes. The middle is a mild dank bitterness. The finish lingers with alcohol and a slight phenolic note. (591 characters)

4.8/5.0 Left very nice lacing on my glass. Head was thick and frothy. Taste was very crisp, slightly sweet and citrusy, exceptionally smooth, not too heavy. It was not as carbonated a I expected but it was balanced very well to give a nice mouthfeel. Hoppy taste lingers on the tongue for a satisfying aftertaste. Overall my favorite DIPA to date, I'd put it over six point resin (mainly due to the drinkability of Hercules) (428 characters)

This brew pours a copper color with a frothy white head, some of which lasts until the end; thick lacing.

The smell is citrus, orange, melon and pine with a few roasted malts in the background; the hops dominate as they should in this style.

The taste follows the nose with orange, mint, lemon pine and a little bit of tobacco with a substantial roasted malt background. There is some alcohol leaking through but that does not detract from this brew or this style.

The mouthfeel is thick and chewy, hop oil remains on the tongue after swallowing.

Overall this is a very good Double IPA. A good representative of the style and another winner from "Great Divide" (667 characters)

Poured from a 1 pt 9.4 fl oz bottle into a tulip glass. Pours a hazy orange with brown highlights. Smells barleywine-esque. You get citrus/grapefruit, but also malty bread like qualities, and a tinge of alcohol heat. The taste is rather subtle, focusing on light citrus, bread, and dark fruits. Mouthfeel is dense. Carbonation is about average. Things get a tad sticky later on. Overall, a good dipa for those who like them to trend towards the barleywine side. (470 characters)

Pours a deep, dark amber color with a large light brown foam head, with good retention. Kind of cloudy. Leaves a ton of lacing. Beautiful beer.

The aroma is bursting with citrus. Very strong scent of grapefruit, with a little bit of grassiness and floral notes. Pleasant notes of pine. A little bit of maltiness. After reading the reviews, this one is definitely reminiscent of a barleywine.

Earthy hops up front followed by pine and some very pleasantly sweet, bready malts. The citrus and grapefruit is more absent than I expected. It's definitely there, but not as present as in the aroma. Very bitter, but it works. Despite the mention of nuts in the description, they're not very noticeable until the back end, and even still barely noticeable. Even still, a nice touch. Amazingly balanced. Alcohol is masked masterfully.

Medium bodied. A little sticky but still goes down pretty smooth. Easy going for a 10%er.

Overall, a fantastic brew. This is my first from Great Divide and boy, what a first. This one will definitely vault to the top of my list. (1,060 characters)

Pours an overcast orange with a meaty head that dwindles to an off-white swirl of melted ice milk. The glass is held together by pretty white lace that clings in all the right places.

Aroma is dirty C-hops rich with malt. You've definitely got your grapefruit citrus in the house, but the piney hops are more cone than needles.

Lots of slick acidic Lupulin. More malt presence than most American DIPAs.

Mouthfeel is cream-filled. Full and feathery soft fades to a slow acidic Humulene chemical burn.

This brew takes an interesting approach to the DIPA style shooting for a very active nutty maltiness in the forefront to bring equilibrium to the loaded hops. The result however I think emphasizes the somewhat unpleasant oil-like burn brought by DIPA level hop rate. By choosing to not showcase the hop aroma and flavor as prominently as others this beer has taken away from itself an important component that makes heavy-hitting IPAs so enjoyable.

Generally I'm a huge fan of their big brews but this was just an average Double IPA, not my favorite. (1,060 characters)

This was a balanced beer, but not my favorite. However, it is very easily obtained. The only downfall is it is not cheap, a four pack will run you around $16.

Appearance: Really nicely colored beer. Bronze with some head that falls to a very small lacing pattern.

Smell: More sweet malts, not as much hoppy floral aromas as a West Coast style. Not as much in the bouquet as I would prefer.

Taste: More flavor than you would detect from the aroma. Caramel malts present, but some hop bitterness, not as much citrus fruit flavors as I would prefer. I am really developing a palate for those type of IPAs.

Overall: A good beer but I probably wouldn't go with this one again, just due to the price and the fact that there are others that I like more out there for less money. But, I am not disappointed I had a chance to try it, it might have been THE beer. Variety is a good thing. (883 characters)

Taste: Even bigger on the malt; Huge toffee, caramel notes upfront, pine in the middle, with a citrus aftertaste

Mouthfeel: Thick, resinous body; Smooth with moderate bitterness

Overall: The dates were scratched off on the bottles, so maybe my four pack was old. Forget a malt backbone, this was almost all malts except for the aftertaste. I think Great Divide meant to put barleywine on the label instead. As highly rated as this is and at $15.99 a four pack, this is one of the most overrated beers I've had in any given style. Sure, it's a decent barleywine, but as a IIPA, it's baffling. I'll rate this somewhere in the middle. I don't even see this meeting its reputation fresh. I should've grabbed Founders Double Trouble afterall. (1,039 characters)